Sons of the Crow
by Ryse the Inquisitor
Summary: hi, guys I'm back again with a new series about my own space marine chapter The Sons of the Crow. this is a WIP and as such is subject to change but any feedback would be more than welcome otherwise I hope you enjoy, Ryse the Inquisitor
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Hello Initiates, and welcome

Space is a void that no training or warning can prepare you for, it is immense and completely unfathomable in that immensity, with the distances involved in even basic transportation almost an impossibility to understand for a mortal mind, with almost all humans that have existed barely traversing a tiny fraction of them in their short life spans.

and yet it has been my duty to travel these stars with my brothers for almost 300 years... and defend any of the systems that could potentially harbor human life in the name of a dying and sickened imperium.

no... I'm not a traitor or a heretic, I'm a crow's son and with that comes a rather... dysfunctional view on the imperium and emperor we serve... we do not fight out of a sense of loyalty or honor, we fight because it is right that we do so we are Astartes and as such our objective is simple: protect humanity.

now... we may not be as lauded or celebrated as those damn Ultramarines or Imperial fists and we may not be as loved and respected as the Salamanders and Crimson Fists but we are the shadows that protect the imperium from its most dangerous foe.

itself,

not in the old ways though, with the skinning pits and summary executions but with subtler more effective methods... methods that you will learn during your time as an initiate, first, however, you must learn our and your history, for how can we improve ourselves and fix mistakes if we do not remember them?

I am Brother Captain Lylen Bors of the 10th company and these are the tales of heroes, monsters and fools listen closely my young brothers for there are many lessons to learn and there will be many tests along the way.

Let us start with a simple Brother of the 4th Company... A brother name Lumos, he is well respected among his peers for his skill at arms, and his knowledge of void warfare. Many times initiate his skill has been called upon to help the chapter or other imperial forces in someway and despite being a mere brother Astartes his knowledge is highly valued among the higher command of the chapter... indeed even the great Crow himself valued his tactical insight in these matters...

but first and foremost he was my brother... and my closest friend.


	2. Chapter 1

**Sons of the Crow**

**prologue**

_"There was no other way."_

_"No? What other ways did you try?"_

_"Sevatar…"_

_"Answer me, father. What politics of peace did you teach? What scientific and social illumination did you bring to this society? In your quest for a human utopia, what other ways did you try beyond eating the flesh of stray dogs and skinning people alive?"_

_Jago Sevatarion Prince of Crows to the Primarch Konrad Curze, M.31_

The boy rose among the pile of bodies, covered in blood.

"father?" he pleaded in almost a whisper as he shook the body that had covered him "please wake up" he cried, tears filling his eyes "please..." his cries increasing in volume but still being almost drowned out by the sirens the blared throughout the chambers and corridors of the Ship, until suddenly... silence, the alarms stopped and the only sound was of a boy alone in a room of corpses crying for his father.

Ocra Borgis moved quickly through the corridors, gripping his lasgun to his chest and only stopping to unleash another blast of las beams into the passing rooms.

"wait," said Ingeth "do you hear that?"

"hear what Ingeth?" said one of the others with them, Ocra wasn't sure of his name

"Crying you fething scrote," said Ingeth "it's back from where we came from"

"we killed everything there Ingeth" Ocra smiled, it had felt so... liberating, to finally after all this rise up and take over this ship filled with pious hypocritical fools "are you sure it's not coming from ahead?"

"No i..." Ingeth started to say pausing as another sound reached his ears, a dull rhythmic thud coming from the opposite way to the crying, he raised his lasgun in the direction and left off a few shots down the passageway, watching the las rounds as they flew down and the thuds stopped "probably just the ship moving" he grunted turning round "lets head ba..." his sentence stopping suddenly yet again, as Ocra looked around to see what was wrong he saw Ingeths head was gone, just a spray of mist hitting the bulkhead as his body slowly fell to its knees and crashed to the ground and the echo of a gunshot dissipated down the passageway.

"what the?" Ocra whispered looking both ways and raising his Lasgun as yet another body fell next to him its entire shoulder and arm missing "open fire!" he yelled clicking the lasgun to full auto as another gunshot, much closer this time hit his ears and another body fell in front of him, revealing the source of the shots. a space marine in grey armor with his Boltgun raised and smoke flowing out of the barrel. Ocra screamed and aiming at the Marine placed his finger on the trigger just as the first bolt round hit him in the shoulder, flying through the air pain coursed through him as he fell on the deck, he looked at where the round had hit him his right shoulder, the round hadn't detonated though, instead it had punched out through his back and he was bleeding heavily, he coughed as the marine reached him.

The Astartes looked down on the heretic, pointing his boltgun at his face, uttering the only words he had said whilst he wiped out this heretic squad the Vox making it sound like a growl.

"scum"

Ocra opened his mouth to utter a curse to the Space Marine but before he could do so the Bolter barked once more and Ocra Borgis was silent forever more.

The boy lay on his father his tears flowing down his face still but his sobs silent, he had heard the gunshots and screams and was trying to stay as quiet as possible as the thuds came closer and closer to him before stopping suddenly.

He looked up at the doorway and saw a giant in armor standing there.

"why hello there," said the giant in a growl, he glanced away from the boy, the clicks coming from him sounded like the nose his father vox responder had made when he had shown him how to use it. The giant nodded before looking at the boy again as he lowered his weapon and walked slowly towards him, he removed his helm revealing his features to the boy, his jet black hair and Scar that ran next to his right eye almost to his chin.

He smiled at the boy "your safe with me now my lad... what is your name?"

the boy shook in fear before he answered his voice stammered but with just a hint of defiance in it he answered.

"Lylen... Lylen Bors"

"Well Lylen Bors, I am Lumos Remin of the Sons of the Crow chapter" he replied as he held his hand out to Lylen "come... you have no future here"


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"We have received your offer of surrender and reject it; we did not come to receive your supplication but to enact judgment. The time to surrender has long passed. The verdict is writ by your own hands. Now is the time to die."

8th Legion vox-broadcast, The Pacification of Listrantia IV

He awoke Screaming.

Lylen gasped as the sensation of fear left him, the dreams had not gone away as the apothecary had said, they had just gotten worse, the memories of that night on "The Emperor's Protection" still lingered even a 3 years later he found it difficult to move on from what he had seen and experienced...

but today was the day.

the day he would start his journey to becoming Astartes.

The Darkness was their only audience as the two giants sparred the mesh caged circle surrounding them slightly glowing with the signs of energy that ran through the metal their only light, and the clash of their weapons, grunts, and curses typical of warriors trying to best each other the only noise in the training arena.

"you're still falling for the faint understroke" muttered one his teeth clenched in a grimace

"I know," said the other one, almost a twin to an unknowing observer to the man he was fighting "you're not exactly subtle about it"

"then stop giving me an opening Lumos" growled the giant "its no fun when you make it too easy for me!"

"too easy" Lumos scoffed "and yet we have been here for 4 hours with no signs of a winner! come now Damokos don't jest" Lumos spun back gripping his sword in two hands and pounced forward as he said "you're not suited to it brother"

Damakos braced himself, raised his sword and parried Lumos weapon sideways with a grunt of effort, but Lumos's momentum kept him moving forward, and he crashed straight into Damakos, his weight knocking him to the ground, where he was greeted by Lumos's sword point at his throat.

"ok good play" Damakos smiled "shouldn't have goaded you like that"

"no" replied Lumos his own crooked smile showing in the dim light of the training area "you shouldn't have" he held out his hand to help Damakos stand "but it almost worked" he conceded, suddenly the relative silence was broken in the training room as another two Marines entered and shouted out to Lumos and Damakos.

"Brothers!" bellowed one his deep voice echoing around the chamber as he pulled his grey leather jacket tighter around him "Aren't you finished yet?"

"We thought we would find you here!" shouted the other his voice betraying signs of annoyance, his uniformed frame immaculate compared to his compatriots disheveled and scruffy appearance.

"We just finished" replied Damakos "what is it?"

"oh nothing," said the first one "I was just bored"

"you bored?" muttered Lumos the sarcasm as thick as his accent as the Astartes sat on one of the many viewing benches "that's not like you Estra!"

"He was down with the initiates telling them horror stories of what would happen to them if the implants didn't take hold," Said the other Marine, his disapproval plain on his face "and generally trying to scare them"

"oh come now Varis" sniggered Estra as he leaned back "best to give them the last taste of their own fear" he glanced at Damakos "what is the blue bastard said? they shall know no fear?"

Damakos looked up smiling "something like that brother" he looked around to Lumos "have you spoken to Lylen today?"

"No... no, not yet" Lumos grabbed a towel wiping his face and the back of his neck "where are the others?"

"Accel, Tarus and Bor Duras are in the arming chamber, overlooking maintenance rites for their weapons" answered Varis "as for Sirius, and Sumer?" he paused as he crossed his arms, "we thought they were with you two"

Lumos and Damakos glanced at each other, their other brothers in 1st Claw where a handful and it was Damakos duty as sergeant to keep them in line, until recently they had only been 6 of them in the claw, Sirius, Sumer, and Tarus being new members fresh from the 6th company, and as such were still adjusting to their new clawmates, as their clawmates were adjusting to them, but whilst Tarus had fit in with his new assignment fairly well, Sirius and Sumer seemed to be making it their life mission to keep as much distance as possible from their new claw.

"That is a matter I will be addressing very shortly" stated Damakos, the grin on his face a very false and unconvincing one "very shortly indeed"

Sirius and Sumer where twins, and had been even before the genetic reshaping they had undertaken to be Astartes had occurred and as such it was near impossible to tell the two of them apart at the best of times, but with their helms on it was simpler, Sirius wore an older Mark 6 Corvus Helm, its beaked nose housing intricate sensors and auspex scanners, whilst Sumer wore the more common Mark 7 helm, its snub nose looking like almost every other Astartes in the chapter.

"what is your twos issue?!" exclaimed Damakos, his face filled with barely controlled anger, as they stood before him in 1st claws arming chamber, the room filled with discarded armour and stinking of weapon oils "two months you have been with 1st claw, and during that time I can count the number of times I have heard either of you speak on one hand" he raised his hand as he finished in order to make his point.

"We apologize Brother-Sergeant.." Started Sirius

"we have difficulty socializing" finished Sumer

"well that is an issue I am fixing!" Damakos grinned "you two are going to be doing training sessions with Brother Lumos and Brother Estra!" Estra grinned at those words whilst Lumos merely carried on cleaning his Boltgun with his rag.

"very well Brother-Sergeant.." started Sirius

"By your command" finished Sumer

"Talkative bastards arent they?" muttered Accel to Lumos his smile betraying the amusement he felt at seeing their Sergeant yell at someone other than him Estra and Bor Duras chuckling with him, Lumos merely grunted in response.

"Actually!" Damakos glanced to Tarus "you can join them in that too Tarus"

"Yes Brother-Sergeant" replied Tarus glancing up from his Bolter "By your Command"

"Damakos" Lumos glanced up "Accel just volunteered as well"

"What?" exclaimed Accel

"oh, good man Accel" smiled Damakos "well volunteered!"

Lumos smiled, as he leaned back whilst Estra and Bor Duras laughed

"that'll teach ya Accel" laughed Estra

The Man was ancient now... well had he wasn't a man and hadn't been for millennia, but he was still sharp and still capable of fighting with the best of them despite his advanced age.

That was the curse of being a god's son of course.

He sat in the command thrown his armor clanging as he shifted in the metal chair.

Oh, how things had changed these last few millennia, Abaddon carrying on his failure of a fathers war, the elder trying to kill off the last of his former brothers, the legions becoming a thing of mere myth instead of fact and plenty of new Xenos threats to keep even the laxest commander busy.

One thing that had changed though...

none of his brothers called him insane anymore.


End file.
